Water Front Recreation Committee outcome

cgka · Since 18 Jul 2006 278 Posts Obsessed

I felt we had a positive CGKA meeting last night and a good proposal for the waterfront recreation committee for our proposed small sliver of the event site grass. Sorry folks, but it did not happen. The committee unanimously felt that when the summer kicks in and there are children playing in the area where they know kiteboarders are going to cross over to the sandbar, it would be too dangerous to have pumped up kites in that area either being carried over to the sandbar or being dryed on the grass. Redbeard Mark gave a few end run attempts that got shot down quickly. The good news is that they agreed to bring it up again mid summer after everyone gets to see how things look during the first part of the summer. The port intends to enforce the no-pump and no-dry kite on the event site grass policy. They will be hiring a person for the position of Event Site Security that will be administering this enforcement. They talked about the fact that it is happening now, and said except for the people launching and landing the majority of the kiteboarders were good natured people who were not parking in the no park zone like the windsurfers have been. But - as soon as the signs are up the rules will be enforced.

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6548 Posts Couve / Hood Site Lackey

Thanks for making the effort... maybe we just need to wait awhile longer.

tstansbury · Since 06 Jun 2006 649 Posts Rowena and P.C Addicted

their was a port guy their lastnight(executive somthing) he came and talked to me about inflating kites. He was a nice guy and said they will update signage to include inflating deflating kites. He said he was suprised that their was only one windsurfer and at least 50 kites. I told him it has been at least 20 to one all spring. He then asked how i thought that would change as summer came. I told him that their will be more windsurfers but the number of kiters is going up at least 25% a year and most of them were windsurfers.

sherrybohn · Since 16 Jun 2006 71 Posts

The cables are still there

This was not an easy decision for the Waterfront Rec Committee. There was alot of back and forth discussion

It is my "understanding" that you can park at the Event Site and carry your gear across the grass to the "delta" to rig.....just don't put it on the grass.

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6548 Posts Couve / Hood Site Lackey

I'd much rather be hit by a kite than a mast or sail. Kites without lines attached are basically harmless.

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1804 Posts XTreme Poster

I am going to follow whatever rules are posted for sure. However, like PKH said, being "hit" by a kite w/o lines has about the same impact as a blowup air mat; a rigged sail is much worse!

magicmaker · Since 29 Oct 2006 895 Posts da Hood Opinionated

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1804 Posts XTreme Poster

Yeah, not being critical at all--hope I didn't come off that way--just restating the obvious. In the end it's not a big deal. I do think allowing kites to be on the lawn will allow some mixing of the user groups in a friendly environment which can only be good.

magicmaker · Since 29 Oct 2006 895 Posts da Hood Opinionated

i didn't think you were being critical at all, i was just saying we tried our hardest at the meeting, but hte bottom line is that the waterfront recreation committee is made up of primarily windsurfers (who dont want kiters on the grass) and i personally believe, they all already had there mind made up what to do and were just making it official.

The CGWA seemed very open to the idea of sharing the grass with us, but it wasn't their decision, it was the waterfront recreation committees. They used safety of families with small children using the event site to go swimming as their primary excuse to kick kiters off the grass and wouldn't accept any of our counter arguments. All they would accept from us is to revisit the decision mid-summer and then decide whether or not to open the grass back up to kite boarders at a certain date. I believe, that if the majority of hte marina park users are displaced to the event site this summer, like they believed in the meeting, then the eventsite is going to have it's own whole shitload of problems because there wont be enough parking and/or grass to support that number of people.

However, i believe that argument is fundamentally flawed. Yesturday, i saw probably 7 kids wading the hood river from the marina park to the sandbar, and the water was about waist deep. The WFRC may believe the hood river delta is a dangerous place to swim, but that is not going to stop people from going to the marina park, and it is not going to displace ALL the swimmers to the event site, like they would have had us believe at the meeting yesturday. If the evensite is full, and the sand spit is full, people are going to go to the marina and park and play in the Hood River, that's all there is to it.

What we're going to see, is more people who aren't kiters parking at the sandspit to go swimming and play in the small pools of water on the sandbar. so if this becomes a problem i'd like to see the port hire an "enforcer" to enforce ordinance 22, section 24b, which states no person shall swim from the spit unless that person is kiteboarding. Actually, i'm just being a prick and mocking the fact that hte port is going to hire someone to make sure we keep our kites off the grass. Personally, i wouldnt' want to take anything away from anybody, i dont think that is fair; our sandbar is more than big enough to let a few kids play around on it as long as they're not doing anything stupid and know the dangers of kites being in the sky.

It was actually really nice to see that the executive director of the port seemed to be very open to the idea of kiters using the event site grass and that the issue will be revisted at a later date.

Unfortunately, i think them not giving us the sliver of grass is going to create a backlash of us vs them attitude, and i'd like to put a stop to this right now, as it wasn't the windsurfers that made the decision, it was the waterfront recreation committee. We all play in the wind and water, and we should all get along, even tho the WFRC has divided us. </rant>

sherrybohn · Since 16 Jun 2006 71 Posts

A month ago I said I was done posting about this issue but I need to take "issue" with a couple of statements about yesterday's meeting.

1st --- Waterfront Rec Committee consists of a person from parks and rec, 2 port commissioners- one of which is myself who both windsurfs and kites, 2 people who own boats in the marina, a watersports business owner, a person who does not windsurf or kite but has children who uses the waterfront and a b&b owner,city councilor & park development committee member. I think that is a pretty diverse group of people.

2nd ---I also disagree that minds were made up when we started the meeting. YES, this same group had made the same decision a month ago but I think that a back and forth dialogue for an hour and 30 minutes means that we all tried to listen and make a informed but tough decision.

3rd ---We are all very aware that the WHOLE "delta" and Event site is going to have "issues" this season and I believe that is why we are attempting to try and make it a safe place for ALL recreational users.

4 ---Mocking the fact that the port is faced with hiring someone to enforce ALL if its ordinances (camping, parking, trash dumping, diving from the cruise ship dock in the marina, selling questionable equipment out of the back of vans, running the parking booths gates, swimming in the marina, vandalism and etc is out of line when Waterfront Rec was told that "self-policing" would work. Also we all know that being hit by a 14 meter kite is a little worse than being hit by an air mattress especially if you are a 5 year old kid or a unaware viewing bystander.

Lastly, in my personal, and its just MY personal opinion, the argument that port and or communityof Hood River owes the kiting community something just sat wrong.

The bottom line is that safety is the issue- this was said over and over yesterday-- and I personally don't want to see ANYONE get hurt on the delta this year.

Waterfront Rec will revisit kite board Event Site access this summer. I would suggest playing by rules and working with the port and community to make this all work

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1804 Posts XTreme Poster

Sherry,
I spent about 40 minutes yesterday cleaning up the broken beer bottles, little piles of wood with nails in them used to make small burn piles, fishing hooks etc from the fishing location at the west end of the hook where folks also try to windsurf and launch kites. You can thank me later. In the meantime, understand that what most of us want is a place to launch and land a kite.

I am more concerned about my kids stepping on broken glass, and being hit by a windsurfing sail flopping around at the Event Site than an inflated kite sitting anywhere without lines on it.

Nobody "owes me" a darn thing.

Okay--done. Thank you Sherry for being active and involved.

PoleVaulter · Since 18 Mar 2007 7 Posts Gorge Kook

I wonder how much the folks on the Waterfront Recreation Committee even use the Event Site? Kiters have been out there since early March. Sherry keeps pulling out the "I'm a kiter" card, but how much has she been out this year?

Why are other communities like Stevenson embracing kiting and striving to improve kiter access while Hood River keeps trying to take things away?

Stevenson doesn't have any problem with kiters sharing access with everyone else... maybe because kiters help fill the bars and restaraunts there post session? Maybe Hood River thinks it could do without kiters as patrons of the local businesses?

Can't wait to see the rent-a-cop.

sherrybohn · Since 16 Jun 2006 71 Posts

One more posting and then I'm done once again posting on this particular topic.

I believe that 3 or 4 people on the Waterfront Rec actively sail at the Event Site.or they say they do. I don't because of the congestion/traffic and the wind shadow but a large number of my customers do. I usually sail @ the The Hatchery, Dougs or Rowena and The Wall on a 8'2'' custom glass board with my largest sail being a very little used 5.0.

I have said all along that I am a begining kiter - 2 summers and about 6 lessons. I took up kiting for those low wind days. I am just learning to ride a board and how to stay up wind. I have not been out at the "delta" this year to kite because I hate cold water and swimming in a 5/3 full wetsuit. I also recognize that when you are at my level I will be spending a lot of time in the water. That is why I am leaving for warmer water and more consistant winds in a week so that I can hopefully perfect my kiting skills so that I can get away from the sandbar/delta this summer. But I have been "lurking" at the Event Site so that I can be aware of this ever changing situation.

I can't speak for what is happening in Stevenson....I don't go there very often -- perhaps I should. East Point looks pretty small and like "take a number please." I truly hope that as the number of people using the various launches grows Stevenson will not "suffer" the impact that Hood River's access has.

The usage of this new "delta" is going to take some planning and sharing but it is an opportunity to design, showcase, develop..... a wonderful new river recreational access point that doesn't exist anywhere else in the gorge. It just takes time, planning and working together.

By the way Eric...thanks for the pick-up patrol. Broken bottles, fish hooks and dog poop bug/scare me as well. Guess it time for a clean-up day. I was just "venting" about the "oweing something" and did not mean to not
offend anyone.

endoshred · Since 22 May 2006 232 Posts HR Stoked

just to beat the subject dead even further......

i have been down to the event site in previous years during kite competitions and slingshot demo days and have never seen a kite blow away while sitting on the grass. everyone knows how to position a kite properly with leading edge to the wind. let me know if anyone has actually seen this occur there, or an injury result. in a worst case senario i would have more concern with blowing sails. a sail flipping over can cause tremendous injury. i have been struck by a sail and was very lucky that it missed my head. sherry, what is the ports position on the risks imposed by windsurfing sails. i have not seen the recreation committee deliberating on that issue before. maybe we should have all windsurfing rigs off the grass also.

or is the port only thinking of the safety of innocent children. maybe we should just ban all children from the event site? this of course is not going to happen. it requires a bit of common sense. sounds like the recreation committee is working hard to try to figure this out, but is opperating from a position of worst case outcomes for kiting but not for anything else. seems that injurys caused by blowing windsurfing sails should be a concern at all windsurfing sites. it can be very bad at sites like rowena or rufus. i have even seen the boards with sails attached go flying long distances.

it seems that windsurfers have previously seen the risks associated with rigs blowing away in high winds and have appropriately learned preventive measures.
1. proper rig position.... sail always downwind of board.
2. cables accross grass to secure rigs.
3. keep young kids away from gear.
4. always keep sails attached to board.
5. you get the picture.

i have not seen local or state recreation committees ban windsurf rigs from beaches due to this safety issue. but still i have seen many sails flip or fly, luckily without major injuries.

so now lets think about an airmattress........errr ....a kite. first of all we should compare stats on injuries related to a kite flying up and striking someone after resting in the normal 'leading edge forward' position. it very unlikely to ever occur on the event site grass, let alone anywhere else. if the wind blows even harder what probably would happen? the kite might slide downwind or it would get blown flatter and just sit still.

what about a windsurfing sail? and unexpected gust to an unsecured sail could easily send it flying. windsurf masts of carbon are a lethal weapon. all windsurfers know this and most would rather be hit by a flying kite than a flying windsurf sail.

now why are sails not a concern for the port? because windsurfers got together recognizing the problem and educated the authorities as to the potential risk and how it will be reduced. at least i think so. but maybe the port did not care about risks before. now they are looking at these crazy kiters with their kites as potential weapons. we need to do a better job educating the recreation committee and the community as to how low a risk a blown up kite on the grass really is. on the flip side, should we instead lobby that windsurf rigs are very dangerous? probably not.

seems that we kiters should develop solutions that would allow the port to recognize our goodwill towards addressing their concerns. one idea is to have a well marked zone on the event site grass that is for kites. you could even build a windbreak on the west side of this 'kite storage zone'. another idea is to have lots of sand bags that stay on the event site grass. they would be used to secure kites just as the wire cables are to securing windsurf rigs. these sand bags could be inexpensively fabricated and easily replaced. maybe these could be donated by the cgka.

at the event site and at all other launch sites, windsurfers and kiters have recognized and addressed safety issues specific to each site as problems have arisen. what has not happened is banning windsurfing rigs from a site base on a perceived risk. why is this happening only now with kites on the grass. sherry if you could please have the port supply data to support this risk from kites. also why not check at the hood river emergency room all the records of trama from blowing windsurfing rigs.

ultimately the only way to know if the issue of kites on the grass is a problem is to allow it and see what happens. let the kiters identify risks and develop solutions. if the kites are banned now, no one will ever know if there really is a problem. and why then would the rule ever be changed to permit kites. how many injuries or deaths have resulted from all of the kites on the grass so far this spring. none! the decision sounds politically based from a position of fear. unfortunately that is understandable. constant communication, a strong kiteboard association and time will eventually allow us equal access rites. at least we can park there still.

.........and this concludes our regularly scheduled ranting.

ps: thanks to everyone for all the hard work on this issue no matter what the outcome.

forrest · Wed May 09, 07 5:46 am

Well put Endoshred. You make a pretty strong case for a little grass.

endoshred · Since 22 May 2006 232 Posts HR Stoked

by the way sherry, please forward this topic to everyone at the recreation committee. i am most concerned with todays liability issues that once the public and news media get word of the potential danger of blowing windsurfing rigs, the public is going to want to ban windsurfers from beaches. Shocked

we cant have that. we must do everything to protect windsurfing. otherwise all that will be left is kiting to fill the beaches. Wink

wonder what the liability would be for the port it someone got seriously hurt by a windsurf rig. do the newspapers know about this?

port should probably rethink its position. otherwise the losers may end up being everyone, not just kiters. maybe the cgwa ought to start pushing harder to support kiter rights also. i would hate to think that people would start to oppose windsurfing. it can happen, and in a hurry.

snowmeltriver · Since 21 May 2006 102 Posts Little Kentucky Stoked

We have a giant sandbar to inflate, deflate, dry, and store our kites on. What is the issue here? Just park at the event site or the spit and WALK / WADE your gear to the sand, pump up, and ride. It's really not a big deal. The port has given us a huge spot that is dedicated to us. They are working with the corps so we can clean it up and have our own area nice, sandy, and safe. Did any of you compaliners think about what it takes to change the level in the river?

Kiters are historically kind of like kayakers: Cheap unorganized dirtbags. This is changing as our numbers grow and our population gets more diverse. HR will realize that we do contribute positively to the economy- especially in the shoulder seasons. But change takes time. We are getting more organized. Our negotiation powers will increase as we mature. Be patient.

Later in the summer the pumping-up-kites-issue will be revisited and probably again next year. But is it really that big a deal? For me, its right up there with having a solar powered, battery backup, cardlocked, kite inflating compressor at the beach! JUST GO RIDE!!!!!! AND HAVE FUN.

Thanks Sherri for all the help. Thanks CGKA for all the work. Thanks Phil for the great site. Thank you desert heating for the past few days of killer riding and big swell!